San Diego got a double overtime winner to reach the MASL Conference Final

Published Apr 20, 2019 at 11:15 PM

Receive the latest sports updates in your inbox

The only team to beat the San Diego Sockers during the MASL regular season was the Tacoma Stars. The Stars needed to pull off another upset in the Major Arena Soccer League playoffs to keep their season alive and for a while it looked like they were going to do it.

But there's just something magic about this Sockers club.

San Diego scored twice in the final 2:19 of regulation, both without a goalie, to force overtime and then, in double OT, veteran Eduardo Velez sent the Sockers to the Western Conference Finals with a golden goal and a 7-6 San Diego win.

The Sockers will face either Monterrey or Rio Grande Valley at Pechanga Arena (date and time TBD) for a chance to play for the Ron Newman Cup.

Velez got the scoring started with a goal just 3:46 into the match. Brandon Escoto chased that with two more goals to put San Diego up 3-0 in the 1st period but Tacoma scored six of the game's next seven goals to put San Diego on the ropes.

The Sockers pulled the goalie for a 6th attacker. The gamble paid off. Escoto scored to make it a 6-5 game and Christian Segura got the equalizer with 13 seconds left in regulation to set up Velez's final strike. The Sockers are just two wins away from their 15th indoor soccer championship.